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Precision Medicine

It occurred to me today that I don’t really get to talk to our supporters enough. Working on Dragon Master Foundation has turned into a full-time volunteer job for me, and most of the time, my head is down on one project or another. The work doesn’t stop coming, but I am so thankful to be in this position – doing this on behalf of cancer warriors. I wanted to stop for just a moment today, and let you know what your support has made possible this week. (And yes, it is only Tuesday!)

You helped give encouragement to a researcher who has developed a program around brain tumor tissue donation. We will be sharing a lot of his work over the next few months, but sometimes, they just need to hear that their work matters. As he told me about the extremely sacrificial gift he works with in his lab, I could hear the emotion in his voice. Tears gathered in my own eyes as I thought about the sacrifice our family has made, and I hope you all know that giving families this final way to make a difference is a truly valuable gift.

You helped gather feedback on the recently launched research platform, Cavatica, from a man who has dedicated most of his nearly 70 years on this planet to cancer research. He spoke with wonder in his voice of the things he is able to accomplish with this technology – things he never thought possible!

You helped give hope to a group of innovators who are developing a big data algorithm that can make treatment recommendations based on a patient’s DNA. They had been struggling to find the amount of data needed to test their theories, and now they have a source for their work.

These were conversations filled with hope, and that is what we are funding. When we started Dragon Master Foundation, it was because we had some audacious ideas about how to help researchers. Less than four years in, we have accomplished so many of the goals we set out to achieve. There is a real-time, open access platform where hospitals can share genomic and patient data. As I type, there are more than 15 hospitals sharing that data with agreed upon data standards. That alone is more than most people thought would be possible. Like the movie Field of Dreams, this is a real life “if you build it they will come” situation.

Which leads me to the best kind of problem to have. We can’t seem to fund the progress fast enough. We have delivered a tool to the nation’s top doctors who are eager to use it, but we need to fund the data to go inside. Putting the data into Cavatica means truly empowering precision medicine. It means we will be on our way to saving lives. If you’ve ever faced cancer, for yourself or a loved one, then you know that today matters.

There’s another great quote in Field of Dreams that applies to this situation. Archie Graham says, “We just don’t recognize life’s most significant moments while they’re happening. Back then I thought, “Well, there’ll be other days”. I didn’t realize that that was the only day.” It’s easy to let days slip by without taking action, but one day, there won’t be any more chances. We have to seize the opportunity now! Not because there won’t still be data to add tomorrow, but because there are lives being lost today. Every day is life or death to someone. So let’s work with urgency now to save more lives tomorrow.

Today is the halfway point in the Revlon Love is On Challenge. We have raised over $21,000, which far exceeds any online fundraising we have done for Dragon Master Foundation in the past. It shows that we are growing as a foundation and that people are starting to really understand and support our mission. I really wanted us to be at $50,000 by the end of the day today, though. Hitting $50,000 today would mean that we have a guaranteed pitch meeting with Revlon to promote Cavatica — an open access data platform that will dramatically improve the cancer research process. We have until midnight. I haven’t given up hope.

My heart may be broken, but I don’t want yours to be.

There are literally thousands of people who have the potential to read this message. If each of them donated only $10, we would far exceed our goal. There are many times in this life that we are helpless. We sit and watch as good people die from a disease that seems unstoppable. I’m here to tell you that it is stoppable. We are seeing breakthroughs with precision medicine efforts, but if we want them for everyone we must take action. Precision medicine initiatives are only as good as the data that drives them. You’ve seen the photos. Right now, a family sits with their child knowing there is nothing else to be done. For those of us who have been there, there is nothing we wouldn’t do to keep you from knowing that pain. Wives continue on without their husbands because a nasty beast stole them away right in their prime. Children grow up without mothers because cancer stole them from their family.

This project has the potential to help all of mankind. I don’t expect you to devote your life to it. I know you have jobs and kids and other responsibilities. All I’m asking is that you realize what an amazing opportunity this could be for all of us, and maybe skip that extra meal out this week. Donate two days worth of Starbucks to our cause — TODAY. I promise you we will make the very most out of that donation.

I have always been proud to be an American. I like to think that I’ve done things for the betterment of our country through the years. For more than a decade, I worked with paralyzed veterans, and I like to think I made a positive impact there. It is rare that any of us get any major recognition for our work, but on July 8th, I was invited by the White House to speak about my new passion – cancer research. Along with 8 other Americans, I was recognized for making a positive impact on precision medicine. The award was a great honor, and it was so motivating to be in the room with so many passionate, innovative people!

While the experience is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to share some of it with all of you. As you might imagine, an honor like this was uplifting and also a little intimidating. I mean, the White House! I had been as a visitor, but never as a guest! We had specific times that we were allowed to enter, based on what we were doing that day. I was allowed in early, but the folks with me had times staggered throughout the day that they could enter.

Richard was with two key players in the database effort – Adam Resnick and Jay Storm. I was so glad to have all of them there to keep my thoughts on track. Talking with them is so invigorating! Their clarity of vision and intense desire to help children is so motivating. I wish I could relate their passion to everyone. Being in that environment is like watching a hot air balloon come to life… Filling and filling until it rises off the ground and soars to its higher purpose. We all have that purpose inside us, and being with others who can help us see our purpose is one of life’s most amazing gifts.

So they were with me in spirit, but I entered the building alone. After a security check, I was in and looking for our meeting room. The Champions gathered waiting for our turn to be filmed for a quick segment on precision medicine. Not sure when that will be available for viewing, but it was a good way to start the day.

After that, we went into round table discussions on various aspects of precision medicine. Richard, Adam, and Jay were all in the building in time to participate in these sessions. There was valuable information shared, but the sessions were too short to really hear from all the participants. There were many people in the room that I wanted to hear more from. I’m hoping that we will have a chance to connect after everyone returns to their normal lives.

We had a quick lunch break but the guys and I had gotten separated. Luckily, that is about the time that Kevin Beezhold arrived. Kevin is one of the people who nominated me for the award so it was great to get to meet him in person. He and I discussed his thoughts on my upcoming panel questions, and it was good to get his perspective.

By this time, we were able to reconnect with Richard, Jay, and Adam. One last pep talk and I was off to meet NIH Director Francis Collins! He was very aware of my personal story and seemed receptive to Dragon Master’s database project. I got the chance to tell him that we would love to work in conjunction with the NIH and he seemed receptive to that idea.

The room was filled with passionate people who care deeply about making a positive impact on healthcare and precision medicine. And oddly enough, they seemed to be mostly in agreement on the changes that need to happen:

greater sharing of data, especially to new populations of people like patients and their families

education of the general public so they will understand their rights when it comes to data

special care to include parts of the population that may feel alienated from the process

I’m proud to say that the database we are working on will definitely address the data sharing issues. I hope that as we are building it we can also help people understand their role in how this data can be used. We want to include everyone in the process of collecting and using the data, so I hope that we can be transparent in the process and help everyone feel secure about their choices to share data.

In an effort to help people understand why this is all so important, I’m going to be making some videos about our database and how it can be used. We will be taping some of these videos at WSU on Thursday, July 16th at 10am in the Rhatigan Student Center. I’d love it if you could join us, and ask any questions you may have about Dragon Master Foundation and our database.